Mail-bag



(No Model.)

B. P. ARMSTRONG'.

Patented sem-...'16, 1884.

[NVENTR l WITNSSESK:

ATTORNEYS.

u PETERS. mw-mmgnphw, wnmgmn, n. r.

INTTED STTES PATENT Ormea.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ARMSTRONG, OF ENGLE, TERRITORY OF N FV MEXICO. Y

MAIL-BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. l 305,367, dated September 16', 1884.

Applicatie!! filed May l, 1884. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, it may con/cern:

Beit known that I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ARMSTRONG, of Engle, in the county of Socorro and Territory of New Mexico', have in vented a new and Improved Mail-Pouch Fastener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved device for closing and locking mail-pouches.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in allthe gures.

Figure l is a face view of the upperpart of a mail-pouch provided with my improved fastening device, the V'pouch being closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing it opened, and parts being broken. Fig. 3 is a portion of the pouch, showing a face view of one of the arms for turning the bolts. Fig. 4 is a crosssectional elevation on the line so x, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a face view of a modification of the said arm. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view on the line 'y y,Fig. 5.

The pouch A is provided on its top edge with a nap, B, formed on the end of the back B', and adapted to be folded 011 the front O. The front O is provided with a series of vertical slots, a, andthe flap ,B is provided with like slots, d, which coincide with the slots a when the flap is folded on the front of the pouch. Slotted metal plates b are secured ou the outer surface of the iiap, and strengthen and protect the edges of theslots d. On the inner surface of the back B of the pouch a leather strip or strap, D, is riveted or otherwise secured transversely, and above it a piece of leather, E, is riveted to the outer surface of the back of the pouch, which piece E is provided in its bottom edge with a V shaped recess, F, for each slot a. A coveringpiece, G, of leather, is secured on the pieces D and E, and between the pieces G and the back of the pouch a strap, H, is held to slide on the upper edge of the strip D. Pivots J are held to turn in the back of the pouch and in the piece G in the apex or top of each recess F, the said pivots projecting some distance from the inner surface of the back B of the pouch, and on the outer end of each pivot J a buttonor cross-piece, K, is formed, the bottom edges of which are beveled or rounded from the center to the ends. The pivots J are so arranged that they can pass through the centers of the slots a. An arm, L, is formed on the inner end of each pivot J, and on each arm L a sliding arm, M, is held, which hasits lower end pivoted to the strap H. Clips N, formed on the ends of the arms L and M, hold the ends of said arms together, InV place of the arms L and M, arms P can be riveted to the strap H, which arms are provided at the upper ends with longitudinal slots P', through which the squared inner ends of the pivots J )ass as shown in Fi s. 5 and 6. The stra n is I 1 g l provided at one end with a ring, Q, and at the opposite end with a slot, R. From the front of the pouch two staples, S and T, project a short distance from each other, the former being adapted to be passed through the slotRin the end of the strap, and the other staple holds a hasp, V, provided in its free end with a The bag is locked and unlocked in the fol-v lowing manner: Vhen the bag is filled,the1iap B is swung down in such a manner that the cross-piece K of the pivots J pass through the slots d in the flap, the said eross-pieces having been previously passed through the slots a in the front C of the pouch. The strap H is then pulled in the direction of the arrow a', thereby `swinging the arms L M or l? in the same direction, and thus turning the cross-pieces or buttons K of the pivots in such a manner that they cross the slots d, and thus lock the iiap on the front of the pouch, as shown in Fig. l. The slotted end of the strap His then swung over the front of the pouch in such a manner that the staple S passes through the slot R, and the hasp Vis swung on the strap H in such a manner that the staple S passes through the slot U of the hasp. The shackle of a padlock is then passed through the staple S and the lock is locked.

If the pouch is to he opened7 the lock is removed, the end of the strap H disengaged from the staple, and the strap H is pulled in` roo`i I am aware that Theaded fastenings have been pivoted to the inner side of the front of a pouch With the T-heads on the outside to engage slots in a flap adapted to fold over the end of 'the pouch. The said T-headed pivots have slotted links connecting them with a sliding1 strap, by which to operate said pivots t'o cause their T-heads to be parallel with or at right angles to the slots in the flap; and I do not desire to claim such construction, broadly, as of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a mail-pouch having slots in its front and in a flap, ofthe pivots J, held to turn in thepouch, and provided with cross-pieces or buttons K, the leather piece E on the back of the pouch, having V-shaped re eesses F, the arms connected with the pivots and adapted to swing in the recesses F, and the sliding strap H, connected with the said arms, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination, with a mail-pouch having slots in its front and in a iiap, of the leather piece E on the back of the pouch, having recesses F, the strap D, the covering-piece G, the sliding` strap H, the pivots J, having crosspieces or buttons K, and arms on the pivots, which arms are connected with the sliding straps H, substantially as herein shownand described.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ARMSTRONG.

Witnesses:Y Y.

J oHN L. AravisTRoNG, JAs. J. Wnsr. 

